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Thursday, October 31, 2013

In an exclusive story, NRK Sports has quoted World Chess Championship Challenger's manager Espen Agdestein on where Magnus Carlsen would spend the rest days during the World Title Match. However, Agdestein has not revealed the secret location the chess prodigy is training at present.

The World Chess Championship schedule includes a rest day after every two games. The main match takes place at the Hyatt Regency in Chennai. On the rest days, to take a break, Magnus Carlsen will commute to a spa resort a short distance away where he would be able to swim, play beach volleyball and tennis or just relax. There are two luxury hotels near Chennai. Meanwhile, even as Carlsen trains at a secret location, on being prodded by NRK Sport whether Carlsen would stay at the Fisherman's Cove on the rest days during the World Chess Championship, Agdestein said the location is a secret. During the World Chess Championship stay, Agdestein believes it is crucial that Carlsen has a place to go to escape the chaos surrounding the World Chess Championship in India. "To stay in a place for three and a half weeks is a long time, although it is a very nice place. Playing venue is also in the same place, and there is some limited hiking and sports around the hotel. It was one of the things we found on the inspection tour," said Agdestein.

Clothing giant G-Star has taken on chess world's poster boy Magnus Carlsen for the second time - a first for the company! A press release states Magnus Carlsen will model for G-Star RAW for their Spring and Summer 2014 collection.

The World Chess Championship Challenger first modeled for G-Star in 2010 with a highly popular and successful campaign alongside international model Liv Tyler.

Magnus Carlsen's new images for the G-Star 2014 campaign of the chess player will be out in February, according to the press release.

"This is spectacular. Magnus is called a "campaign model" for 2014. This is the first time they have taken on a model twice," Magnus Carlsen's manager Espen Agdestein was quoted as saying.

A G-Star site update states: Magnus Carlsen returns for his second collaboration with G-Star in the new campaign, again he represents the young insurgent of chess. Famous for his confident and unpredictable style of play, he embodies the spirit of unconventional thinking.

Magnus will play in the World Chess Championship against the title-holder Viswanathan Anand in Chennai, India from 7th - 28th November 2013.

What did it take for a Norwegian to reach a match for the World Championship title? In addition to a talent for and deep interest in chess, I think it was important to get possibilities and encouragement on the way. Support from family, friends, trainers and sponsors are helpful in providing the necessary possibilities.

Encouragement came through results and also support from various people. During the Norwegian youth team championship in 2000, a strong junior player was asked for the result by a friend after one of the rounds, and he responded with self deprecating irony something like: “Well, I played a 9-yr old as white and was a piece up by move 5…”. His friend had drawn his conclusions by the time he added: “And I lost”. Magnus’s piece sacrifice was not theoretically correct but highly enjoyable for the spectators and certainly encouraging for people around him.

For Magnus personally, the last round draw against the strongest Norwegian U16 player Tallaksen was maybe even more gratifying. By this time Magnus had already had a couple of valuable sessions each month for half a year with Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen (Simen Agdestein’s assistant) at the Top Athletes School Chess group. In Norway children participation in sports competitions is restricted in general.

A sponsoring agreement has been agreed between Arctic Securities and Magnus Carlsen. Magnus became an International Grandmaster at the age of 13, the youngest at the time. In October 2009, during the Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament, he became the fifth chess player in the history to achieve an Elo-rating over 2800 – by far the youngest to do so. That year he also became The World Blitz Chess Champion. On January the 1st of 2010 the new FIDE list was published and at the age of 19 Magnus became the youngest ever chess player to be ranked World Number One. Carlsen is the best representative for top excellence within both analysis and implementation.

In chess the practices have varied, and when Magnus was 11 back in 2002 he was allowed to participate in the European and World Youth U12. This represented a first opportunity to fight with the best peers in the world (except for Karjakin who was already a GM and did not participate any longer). In the European U12 Championship the Russian child stars Nepomniachtchi and Andreikin dominated as usual, while in the World Youth U12 Magnus was already catching up and came 2nd on tiebreak after the winner Ian Nepomniachtchi.

By this time, Simen Agdestein himself had already been the trainer of Magnus for about a year, and a little later Computas became his first sponsor for 6 months. In January 2003 another event was staged by Hans Olav Lahlum at the traditional chess site of Gausdal amidst inspiring mountains with downhill and cross country skiing tracks.

Magnus needed a last round win against his somewhat older adversary and friend IM Bluvshtein from Canada, and surprised many by achieving the necessary victory after a good game and a hard fight. The international break-through securing a GM-norm and winning the Corus C-group in 2004 is well known to many, and less emphasis is put on the huge number of tournaments Magnus played in the autumn of 2003 during a family sabbatical year, that prepared him for the progress seen in 2004.

By this time, Microsoft Norway was sponsoring Magnus and facilitating his participation in tournaments every month. Prior to our sabbatical, Simen Agdestein and other Norwegians had been very optimistic about the prospects of Magnus as a chess player, and during the 1st half of 2004 a number of strong players and international chess journalists showered praise on the young Norwegian providing encouragement for both Magnus himself and people around him.

The All India Chess Federation is organising several chess events as a celebration to run parallel to the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship. One of these was the chess tournament for the visually challenged held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The winner of the special chess tournament was 16-year-old Sai Krishna with a perfect score in ten rounds. The Tamil Nadu (Indian state of which Chennai is the capital city) State Chess Association has done much to popularise chess for the visually challenged.

Sai studies in Class XI at the St Louis School for the Blind. Sai is a regular chess player and said, “I am happy and delighted to win the tournament. It is even more special because the tournament was conducted in honour of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand’s match."

“Participating in tournaments (open, age group) on a regular basis has helped me sharpen my skills. I have won state meets in U-16 and U-14 categories. This has helped me win today.. I had a good start, but towards the end I had to work hard as I faced stiff opposition from K Muthuraman. But my experience came in handy in the end,” said Sai.

Sai studies at the Chess Gurukul. “My growth as a chess player is thanks to my coach Grandmaster RB Ramesh. I practise regularly at Chess Gurukul and have been improving with every passing year. My aim is to be the first blind IM from Chennai,” said Sai. WGM Aarthie Ramesh, who coaches at Chess Gurukul, has a word of praise for Sai. “He is very talented and a good chess player. Despite his condition he is able to take part in regular tournaments. He is able to grasp and understand moves,” she said.

Sai takes pride in being part of the Indian team that took part in the Blind Olympiad. “It was great to play the tournament. Individually I came sixth and as a team India came eighth,” said Sai.

Special braille chess boards were used for the tournament with 76 participants.

Sai loves chess and has been playing from the age of five. He has won several chess tournaments from a tender age and has taken part in National Chess Open events. Sai Krishna is the National B Chess Champion 2013 for the visually challenged and has represented India at the World Junior Chess Championships in Sweden and Greece.

Disappointing most of the world, and both the players, Chennai managed to clinch the 2013 World Championship by bidding a million dollars less than Paris .Justifying the decision, a FIDE spokesperson explained that money is not the only important issue to consider when awarding such prestigious events. “Paris was too mainstream and chic, we had to keep with the tradition of venues like Libya, Khanty Mansyisk, Tromso etc. After all we are the guardians of the international image of chess – we can’t let it be changed just because one player is getting too popular”.

After a lot of persuasion from his managers, this popular guy, Magnus Carlsen, decided to keep his opinions on the venue to himself. Instead he has been trying to (unsuccessfully) find a place to play football in Chennai.

Vishy on the other has been smiling through his teeth as he thanks the organisers to bring the match home. Away from the camera he wonders why the AICF (All India Chess federation) has suddenly decided to do something for him after three decades. Couldn’t they wait a bit longer to become active?

Anyway, it’s all about winning the match as the stakes have never before been this high. While Vishy only has the rest of his career to lose, Magnus has his next multi million dollar modelling assignment at stake. Also winning the match might finally give him some time to get a girlfriend.

So in preparation, as everyone knows by now Carlsen has been working on his hypnotic skills – besides his usual methods of staring at the opponent’s eyes or appearing to be asleep, he has also prepared some brand new methods of mind control.

Magnus testing his new hypnotic methods in Poker

Rest of the time, Magnus has been telling his seconds how weak they play, shooting off brilliant fb comments, or just tweeting new pictures obviously aimed at a potential endorsement deal.

He has also asked Garry Kasparov for the secret of scaring Anand. Despite his extremely packed schedule of posing for photographs, signing autographs, and writing lengthy fb updates, Garry has taken time to explain his favourite hobby of the 1990′s to Magnus.

But Anand has not been idle either. Ever since Victor Korchnoi revealed the secret of Carlsen’s sucess, Vishy has been trying to find an antidote to this hypnotic scare. His camp refused to comment whether they were considering using highly trained Indian Sadhus to deal with these mind games – a technique used by Korchnoi himself in one of his matches against Karpov.

But sources confirmed that after Nakamura’s amazing success at dealing with the Magnus stare using Ray Ban, Vishy has been considering sponsorship deals with various eye-wear companies.

While, for dealing with the Garry pressure, Vishy has decided to build a Rajni wall around him. Every re-watch of a Rajnikanth movie adds a new layer of unbreakable psychological aura around him.

And speaking of movies, he has also been inspired by the Bollywoods 40+ makeovers – and has been building his own six packs to set up the perfect masala climax with the scowling Carlsen.

PS: All details in this piece are created with my (GM Parimarjan Negi) imagination, it’s uncanny similarity to reality is of course just co-incidental.

A National Movement by NIIT Takes Off Ahead of the World Chess Championship!

NEW DELHI, October 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

- A unique initiative to enable every Indian to cheer for Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand as he fights to defend the crown for India at the World Chess Championship, 2013 in Chennai -

NIIT Limited, leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia's largest IT trainer, today unveiled#Wish4Vishy http://www.wish4vishy.com - a national movement to enable every Indian to cheer for reigning World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan (Vishy) Anand, as he prepares to take on challenger world number oneMagnus Carlsen, at the World Chess Championship 2013, to be held between November 7 - 28, 2013 in Chennai.

In his glorious career spanning over 25 years Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand has taken Indian chess to great heights. Born in Chennai, Anand is acclaimed to be the Fastest Brain in the world. Five times World Champion, Vishy is the only person in Chess history to have won a World championship title in all formats - match, knock-out and tournament. It is his success in the world scene that has made this ancient Indian game, a mass sport in India.

NIIT offers a unique opportunity to every Indian to take pride in Vishy's achievements and wish him good luck before the forthcoming World Chess Championship. The best entries stand a chance to win free ticket during the World Chess Championship 2013 and special gifts on every alternate day, for the best wish expressed.

Vishy has been associated with NIIT for nearly 15 years now. NIIT MindChampions' Academy (MCA), a not-for-profit joint initiative that was started by NIIT & Vishy to promote Chess in schools, has today touched 1.65 million children in over 17,000 schools cumulatively, across the country. Over the years, MCA has not only enabled schools to use Chess as an academic tool but has also made it possible for Vishy, personally, to take the legacy of Chess to children across India.

Speaking on the #Wish4Vishy initiative, World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion, ViswanathanAnand said, "I would like to thank everyone for the amazing wishes. To all the friends who have sent intheir wishes for me through NIIT's Wish4Vishy initiative, I would like to say that every single wish means a lot to me. Thank you for the fantastic support and your love."

G Raghavan, Chief Executive, Career Building Solutions, NIIT Limited said "It is a matter of immense pride for every Indian that five-time World Champion and NIIT MindChampion Vishy Anand will be defending his World title at his home ground inChennai, this November. Therefore, we have specially put together the #Wish4Vishy movement to give every Indian an opportunity to cheer for Vishy and be a part of this excitement."

The Microsite http://www.wish4vishy.com would be the hub of all the wishes pouring in. There is an Instagram Feed, Twitter Feed, Facebook feed as well as wishes coming in straight from the microsite that would be visible.

About NIIT MindChampions' AcademyThe NIIT MindChampions' Academy (MCA), a not-for-profit initiative has been set up as a joint initiative by Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and NIIT Limited with the objective of promoting Chess in schools to enable development of young minds. Studies have shown that Chess improves concentration and diligence thus helping students perform better academically.

Established in 2002, MCA has touched 1.65 million children in over 17,000 schools cumulatively, across India. Over the last 11 years MCA has organized more than 16,000 school level tournaments and over 5,500 District level & State Level tournaments. World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand has personally travelled to various parts across Indiaand has visited countries like Africa & China, spreading the message and motivating the school students to start playing Chess.

NIIT MindChampions' Academy conducts the hugely popular Annual Event, known as ChessMaster for school children acrossIndia within the NIIT network of schools where it provides IT education. It is also the first institution in India to launch a certificate program in Chess under a Central Government University umbrella- Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

NIIT now offers the unique opportunity to wish World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand on the eve of the World Chess Championship at Chennai through #Wish4Vishy (http://www.wish4vishy.com), initiative powered by NIIT Cloud Campus. Wishes can be submitted online with applicants standing a chance to win free ticket to the World Chess Championship.

NIIT Cloud Campus[TM]is a pioneering initiative from NIIT to help take high quality educational programs to the remotest corners of the country. NIIT Cloud Campus[TM]is based on a revolutionary educational paradigm which takes students beyond the traditional classroom teaching. Further, NIIT has set up http://www.niitcloudcampus.com asa student gateway to help them identify trends in new age skills and offermore information on NIIT Cloud Campus[TM].

About NIITEstablished in 1981, NIIT Limited, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia's premier IT trainer, offers learning and knowledge solutions across 40 countries. Leading IT journal Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT the 'Top IT Training Company' award successively for the past 20 years, since the inception of this category.

NIIT's Individual Learning Business offerings include industry-endorsed programs for students seeking careers in IT - GNIIT and Edgeineers, and GlobalNet+ for IT professionals. The company has introduced "India's first cloud campus", through its new-age GNIIT program. This offers students a higher mobility as they can access courseware using Netbooks to connect seamlessly to NIIT's Cloud Campus network.

- Centre for Advanced Learning, offers Executive Learning Programs in association with leading Business schools in India, KPMG, Google India and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), using the synchronous learning platform.

NIIT Institute of Finance Banking & Insurance (NIIT IFBI), formed by NIIT with equity participation from ICICI Bank, offers programs for individuals and corporates in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance.

In recognition of its people centric policies, which foster an environment of growth and career development, NIIT has been ranked as the 4th Best company to work for in India 2013, by Great Place to Work Institute®.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview - Former Indian national chess champion Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta feels Viswanathan Anand is going to keep his title at the upcoming World Chess Match versus Magnus Carlsen. Gupta is a former World Junior Chess Champion and spoke to the Times of India:

"It will be a very intense match and Anand's experience in such events should come in very handy. Anand has established himself as an all round player, winning the world championship in knockout, match-tournament and matches. Carlsen undoubtedly is the most worthy challenger but one needs nerves of steel for such matches," Gupta said.

Regarding Carlsen, Gupta said, "Carlsen lost the last two games (at the London Chess Candidates) under pressure when a draw might have been enough to clinch the right to challenge Anand, he was lucky in some way as Kramnik also lost the last game. It was nerve-wreaking to say the least but it also tells us that Carlsen is capable of losing as well, giving Carlsen the tag of overwhelming favourite is probably not justified."

"There is a thin line between pressure of playing at home and enjoying the home advantage, Anand will surely tackle it. He beat Topalov in Bulgaria which would surely help in learning how not to let this advantage slip," he said.

"It will be a very close affair surely. I guess the first half will be important from Anand's perspective, Carlsen will be full of energy in those games and mostly will come down guns blazing. In the second half it won't be so simple for Carlsen that's why matches are so difficult," Gupta noted. "Against Topalov in 2010 Anand started with a loss and won the second game itself. Against Gelfand in 2012 too Anand lost first before winning while against Kramnik in 2008 he simply outclassed the Russian, so for Anand it probably doesn't matter. He comes back harder when down, and rolls over you when he is up. The stuff legends are made of," said Gupta.

Friday, October 25, 2013

As is required for an event like the World Chess Championship, officials of the organising body are working round-the-clock to have everything in order. Here is a quick update on all the arrangements at the venue - the Chennai Hyatt Regency:

- Players’ security, playing area and seating arrangements have been finalised. No outsider will have access to World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand and World Chess Challenger Magnus Carlsen before the championship. The players will, however, attend the post-game press conference every day.

- Both chess teams are expected to check in at the Hyatt Regency by November 2-4 and would be allocated separate floors. Separate elevators will take Anand and Carlsen straight to the playing arena. All entry and exit points will be barricaded.

- Playing arena will be accessible only to the players, chief arbiter, deputy arbiter and a hotel staff member for serving refreshments to the players.

- Media, public, fans won't have access to either Anand or Carlsen before the World Championship Match begins.

- A sound proof glass partition will separate the players from the audience as has become an international tradition for international chess events. This, after all, is the World Chess Championship!

- Electronic gadgets, mobile phones, tablets, etc would not be allowed into the venue.

- Two large audio-visual screens will be installed in the spectators' area.

- A small area behind the spectators’ area will be available to 100 registered chess players at a time for watching the game of the day. This area will not have any seating arrangement.

- Journalists would have to follow the match live in the media centre where post-game press conferences will also be held.

At the Sinquefield Chess Cup 2013 in Saint Louis: Nakamura managed to draw both his games with Magnus Carlsen, but wasn't it chess? ;)

This is pure chess: Magnus Carlsen is not going to India to hypnotise Viswanathan Anand, says Espen Agdestein, manager of the world's highest-rated chess player.

Actually, Hikaru Nakamura started the rumours by wearing sunglasses to games with Magnus Carlsen a few weeks back at the Sinquefield Chess Cup in Saint Louis. Several website from Times to the US Chess Fed site had spoken about chess hypnotism then - all in good fun, we suppose. At the Sinquefield Chess Cup, commentators Jennifer Shahade and Yasser Seirawan turned up in dark glasses the next day as well :)

Possibly, those chess articles came out when the World Chess Championship fever for the big match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand had not really caught on yet.

First the article hit the chess twitteratti, and soon enough, Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet even obtained a clarification from none other than Magnus Carlsen manager, Espen Agdestein!

Agdestein said the chess hypnosis theory is by Korchnoi and he alone knows about it. Magnus Carlsen is going to India to play good chess, not to hypnotise the World Chess Champion is Agdestein's clear answer.

At present, Magnus Carlsen is training with his team for the big chess title at a secret location. His training includes physical sports which Carlsen is known to be fond of. Agdestein said the team was well prepared including ready for the specific hot Indian weather that would "greet" Carlsen in Chennai, considering that Carlsen is a true blue Norwegian. Carlsen's team includes his chef, doctor and bodyguard apart from others.

Agdestein said the chess prodigy is training at a place where the weather is similar to what he would experience in Chennai so that he can gather his energies and be ready to acclimatise quickly. -- Rajat M Khanna

Thursday, October 24, 2013

World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand received special support from his school when it came to his chess. The Indian school system is known to be quite burdensome for kids who want to excel at sports and other hobbies. Often, parents have to take a call on allowing their children to make the difficult choice between a hobby that might not guarantee them a livelihood and studies that could take them to the top of a traditional profession.

No one bothered with sports, forget chess, when Viswanathan Anand was a school-going kid. Things have improved in India now as awareness grows particularly when it comes to a sport like cricket. There is considerable hype now that the World Chess Championship is going to be held in India.

Viswanathan Anand has been extremely fortunate with his schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai. It was an illustrious school in Chennai even in the 80s. It had excellent facilities for academics and sports. Its alumni already included some top sportspersons.

“Anand was a budding chess player and used to take part in many tournaments. I remember he used to come with his mother and his father was in the Railways at that time,’’ says Albert Sam, physical director of Don Bosco. Sports teachers Vijaykumar and Charles would often accompany Anand to chess matches in other schools and colleges. The vice-principal at that time, Father Simon, was said to support table tennis over cricket, but he liked Anand and encouraged him. Anand was known as a well-behaved student.

Viswanathan Anand had to miss classes quite a bit because of competitions and travelling. But, he received special support from his school for that. Perhaps, no other student was granted as much absence of leave from school as Anand. His support system also included his late mathematics teacher Lourdaraj who helped Anand prepare for the examinations.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Come Monday and you would be able to zip down from your office, catch a quick chess game with a professional player in a nearby park, and win a prize for the dinner... in Chennai that is. Chess is going to become a street-celebration this season in Chennai beginning Monday (October 28).

The Chennai Hyatt Regency is hosting the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship from November 7. The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) has planned a series of parallel chess tournaments and events. The AICF is going to take chess to the city parks, Nehru Stadium and the government offices' secretariat!

One of the Chennai venues for street chess this October-November: Anna Nagar Tower Park was built in 1968 as part of the World Trade Fair.

First up will be blitz chess tournaments for bureaucrats, journalists, the secretariat staff, veterans (above 60 years), and film artistes. There will also be a chess event for the visually challenged from October 27-31. $9000 approx will be set aside as prizes for each of these chess tourname­nts.

“We want to involve people from cross-sections of society and take chess to the masses,” says AICF president J.C.D. Prabhakar. He told journalists a list of professional chess players is being prepared. These chess players will take up challenges from the public at select locations across Chennai: Anna Nagar Tower, Mylapore’s Nagesh­wa­ra Rao Park and T. Nagar’s Panagal Park between 4 pm and 6 pm until November 5. Everyone who beats the professional players will win prizes.

Prabhakar also said they would try and arrange for public display screens/boards at select locations across Chennai as part of the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship side events. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi

During November Chennai will be the focus of global attention as local hero and World Champion of seven years, Vishy Anand faces a challenge for his chess crown from the young Norwegian with smouldering movie star good looks, Magnus Carlsen. Ranked world number one at just 22 years old, Carlsen has already achieved celebrity status across the globe, appearing in US Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people and in the UK debuting on a list of the sexiest men of 2013. Judging by the pop star reception he received during his summer visit to India, Carlsen will have a loyal fan base here during the Championship match, despite Anand’s home advantage.

World Chess is officially cool and Kids India will showcase the official unveiling in India of the World Chess Championship Chess Set. (Stand No. A20 at Kids India Toy Fair)

Designed exclusively for World Chess by revered architect and industrial designer Daniel Weil, the set reflects an exciting new era for the classic game.

And it is one of the UK’s oldest and most respected traditional games companies, Studio Anne Carlton, which has been appointed as the official manufacturer and distributor of the FIDE approved World Chess Championship Chess Set.Studio Anne Carlton managing director, Michael Lee, explains why the Kids India Toy Fair is the perfect platform to showcase the World Chess Championship Chess 2013 Set:

“World Chess and Studio Anne Carlton are committed to supporting global initiatives to promote chess in schools and the communities, helping and encouraging children of all ages to play chess, not just for enjoyment but to assist both their education and social skills. It’s therefore appropriate that the official launch of the set in India takes place at such an important children’s focused event as Kids India.”

The Championship Chess Set is the first in the World Chess range and is the flagship product for World Chess that is intended to be used in all Championship events. Weil’s design affords more than a respectful nod to the Staunton set required for competition play, but with a contemporary 21st century styling that is already being appreciated by the younger, design led generation.

Simple perfection is shown in the hand-crafted natural and ebonised boxwood pieces and the rosewood and maple chessboard.

Vishy Anand will always be a respected role model, but Magnus Carlsen is a role model for a new generation with his ‘smart is cool’ persona that has drawn A-list attention too. He now counts global superstar rapper Jay-Z as a fan. Chess is on the cusp of a new era, set to reignite global audiences and inspire a new generation and ambitious children will want to play with the same chess set as Magnus Carlsen, the

Here is the first post from Viswanathan Anand's team member Eric van Reem's chess blog 'Mate in Chennai'.

On 16 October, an article was published in the Bad Sodener Zeitung, a weekly newspaper for the citizens (about 22.000) of the small town of Bad Soden. The town is known for its various springs, which contain carbonic acid gas and various iron oxides. The waters are used both internally and externally, and are widely exported. One of the most prominent citizens of this town and spa in Bad Soden is chess world champion Viswanathan Anand and in the weeky newspaper one page was reserved. Since this article is only available in German and the newspaper does not have an online edition, I will give you a brief summary, writes Reem. You can read the full summary at his first post on Mate in Chennai.

“He bought a season ticket for the swimming pool in Bad Soden and swam about 1000 meter per day. He would also run 10 km every day and he has also been spotted on a bicycle in the beautiful hills around Bad Soden. He lost about 6 kilos this summer. Most of the time, though, Anand prepared for the match in the Chess Tigers Training Center with his seconds.”

Anand's friend, manager and delegation leader in Chennai, Hans-Walter Schmitt is quoted: “This will be his toughest challenge. It is a battle of experience vs. youth”.

The text is written by Hans-Jürgen Biedermann, pictures (not credited!-idiots) were made by yours truly. I add the original pictures here. Click on the pictures for a larger view. Let me know if you want to use the pictures or need a high-res picture.

'Mate in Chennai' will give you inside information about the “First Match of the Century” between world chess champion Vishy Anand from India and his challenger Magnus Carlsen from Norway, writes Reem (left).

Reem adds, "You will find tons of information about this match on the official match site and on numerous chess websites. In this blog I will try to give you some insight what’s going on behind the screens of a world chess championship. You will hardly find any chess diagrams here or analyses or anything. I want to show pictures of the match and of people who are involved. Pictures of the opening and closing ceremonies, pictures of the hotel, pictures of Chennai: I hope you will find some stuff here, that is not available on other websites."

"Last year I wrote a blog about the world championship in Moscow: Mate in Moscow. Originally, I only wanted to post a few pictures every now and then for family and friends back home, but the blog became quite successful in the chess world. So here is another blog! Enjoy!"About the author: Eric van Reem (1967), airliner, located near Frankfurt. Chesswriter and hobby photographer. Vice president of the Chess Tigers. Regular contributor to Schaakmagazine (NL), Schach Magazin 64 (D) , KARL (D) and other chess magazines like New in Chess. Chief editor of Computerschaak 2001-2010. Press officer Chess Classic Mainz 2001-2010.

Doordarshan, India’s Largest Television Network, has signed an agreement with All India Chess Federation for the Complete Global Television Rights of the Forthcoming FIDE World Championship Match 2013 to be played in Chennai, between reigning World Chess Champion GM Viswanathan Anand and Challenger GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Doordarshan is the Government-run Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organisations in India in terms of the studio and transmitter infrastructure. Recently, it has also started broadcasting on Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009, Doordarshan celebrated its 50th anniversary. The DD provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional India, as well as overseas through the Indian Network and Radio India.

The agreement was signed by (left) Ranjan Thakur, Addl DG Doordarshan on behalf of Prasar Bharati and Bharat Singh Chauhan, CEO All India Chess Federation. Under this Agreement Doordarshan will telecast the 12 games Championship live and exclusive on its DD Sports Channel. Television networks interested in obtaining TV Broadcast and Live Video Streaming rights would have to contact Avinash Acharya Asst Director DD Sports (email: avinash_acharya@yahoo.co.in).

Anand – Carlsen 2013 FWCM is set to take place 7th to 28th of November. It is the most important individual chess event of the year and starts just a week after the most prestigious club event – the European Club Cup 2013, with 300+ titled players and 100+ GMs.

DD Sports was launched on March 8, 1999. In the beginning, it broadcast sports programmes for six hours a day, which was increased to 12 hours in 1999. From 1st June, 2000, DD Sports became a ‘round-the-clock’ satellite channel. It was an encrypted pay channel for a while, (between 2000 and 2003) and on 15th July, 2003 it turned free, to become the only ‘Free-To- Air’ Sports Channel in India.

So, you will be able to watch live World Chess Championship 2013 between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen both on the official website and the DD Sports broadcast. The DD Sports broadcast is also available on free via several websites.

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview - Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi - the second youngest chess Grandmaster (at 13 years, four months, 22 days in 2006) in the world after Sergey Karjakin of Russia says Magnus Carlsen has the upper hand in the upcoming 2013 World Chess Championship versus Viswanathan Anand. GM Parimarjan Negi spoke to New Indian Express:

“The first time I saw him (Magnus Carlsen), I was 11 and he was 13. It was at the chess tournament where he achieved his final GM norm, where I was a participant as well. He was already a superstar.”

“Carlsen definitely has the better chance. He is mentally very tough and that is one of his strongest points. The one thing working against him is that everybody expects him to win. His chances of winning are good, but definitely not as high as they are being made out to be. He showed some nerves during the recent Candidates tournament.”

“Anand is definitely not a worse player than Carlsen. It is just that he has not been at his best recently while Carlsen is at his peak. Anand has been trying to change his style a lot. Earlier, he was trying to be solid and take fewer risks, but that will not work against Carlsen who is physically fit and has great stamina. He has tried to play a more powerful complicated game in recent times, but has made a number of blunders along the way. If he can avoid those blunders, then the match will definitely be very close.”

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

World Chess Championship 2013 video update: A cool shower to wash away the Chennai heat impacts not Magnus Carlsen's killer instinct. Boyish charms aside, Magnus Carlsen says, "I am the favourite in any tournament I play. I have the supreme belief if I do my best I will win."

Chess' poster boy and his team visited Chennai to inspect the venue of the World Chess Championship, the Hyatt Regency in Chennai. In this interview, Carlsen projects confidence about playing in Chennai and his chances. (Producer: Vijay Kumar Camera: Benjamin Ree)

It's a short interview of the Norwegian chess talent, but you could watch it a couple of times over!

Don't forget to vote in our online poll on the column top right on who will win the World Chess Championship 2013: Viswanathan Anand or Magnus Carlsen?Meanwhile, hope you spotted this fortune cookie Magnus Carlsen tweeted ;)

Monday, October 21, 2013

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview - Grandmaster RB Ramesh - who gave India's youngest national chess champion last year - has said the result of the 2013 World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand will depend considerably on the chess support the two receive from their seconds. GM RB Ramesh was quoted in an interview given to New Indian Express this weekend. Here are the relevant quotes:

On the chess styles of Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen: Anand prepares very well and likes to get into a familiar position on the chess board while and putting his opponent into unfamiliar territory where they would be at a loss. Anand is more traditional (in his chess style) and tends to follow the main opening lines while Carlsen on the other hand is likely to play offbeat sidelines and look to neutralise Anand’s preparatory advantage. (Photos via Chess Gurukul - GM RB Ramesh and wife GM Aarthie Ramaswamy's chess school in Chennai.)

On Viswanathan Anand's strengths: He has got the experience of playing many matches against top class opponents like Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Gelfand and Veselin Topalov. Anand’s main strength is his preparation which has worked well against most opponents and his aggressive play as he has the ability to calculate the moves very well.

On Magnus Carlsen's strengths: Carlsen seems to have the mentality that there is too much opening theory and it is impossible to master all of that. So he relishes the challenge of getting his adversary to play unknown positions where his originality would come to the fore. The World No 1 has great fighting spirit and stamina and even in losing positions, he never gives up and tries some trick or other to get back on an even keel. Another key strength is his endgame where Carlsen tries to force a victory breaking down his opponents after putting them under relentless pressure until they make a blunder or cave in through mental fatigue.

On the challenge presented to Viswanathan Anand by playing Carlsen as opposed to Kramnik and Gelfand: Against players of his generation like Kramnik and Gelfand, Anand could play the principled main line openings since they play similar in that regard, but it won’t be possible against Carlsen who is unpredictable and may play different sidelines each time. Typically at the top level, GMs tend to split the point when they reach a position of no-advantage but for Carlsen, that represents just the start and he would enjoy the prospect of a long battle.

On who would win World Chess Championship 2013: Anand has not played very well in the last two years and slipped down the rating while Carlsen is on the way up (having broken Kasparov’s all-time high FIDE rating) and looks to be peaking at the right time. So, Anand would look to bring forth new ideas in opening to get into complicated positions and put pressure on Carlsen hence gaining an advantage while Carlsen would look to stretch the game and take him to new positions. The role of the seconds would be very important as they have to prepare for many sidelines too. I believe the player who is able to bring forth his strategy onto the board will ultimately triumph.

On Anand being a role model for Indian kids: He is a very nice person and has a very good sense of humour. He is also very articulate in expressing his ideas. Anand is very encouraging and whenever Indians win a tournament, he used to call them up and congratulate them. That motivates the young players a lot.

On his interaction with Anand in the past: When we were kids, we were inspired by his feats. Anand spent a lot of time abroad but when he came to Chennai, he would host a dinner for the promising youngsters. Due to a paucity of good books and training at that time, it was “education time” for us to clarify our doubts and we drilled him with a number of questions–some idiotic ones as well but he patiently answered all of us. That helped us understand the thinking of a Grandmaster and improve our game. Initially we were all focused on results but Anand used to tell us, “Chess should be fun” and that we should enjoy ourselves. Later we found that to be very true.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview - Grandmaster Peter Svidler - who just won the Russian Chess Championship for a record seventh time - has said Magnus Carlsen will not have "adjustment problems" playing in India as Anna Ushenina recently had while playing in China against Hou Yifan for the Women's World Chess Championship 2013. GM Peter Svidler was quoted in an interview given to the Russian Chess Federation and transcribed by Chess-News.ru."A lot will depend on how smoothly openings work for Anand as there is only one "opening master" in this match. If such an opening balance will be maintained then the match will be interesting and approximately equal. If Magnus has worked precisely on that part and if he manages to "catch" Anand in the opening as white, I should say it will be a hard life for Vishy. From the pure playing point of view Magnus is stronger and he has more energy. [...] Nonetheless, Anand is certainly experienced in not only playing the matches but in preparing to them. I guess it won't be easy to fight with his opening preparation. And then anything is possible. Well, we'll see.. It should be interesting!"

"As regards Ushenina - Hou Yifan match, nothing similar will happen in Chennai - that's for sure. If even 25% of what Alexander Khalifman has said is truth... I suspect even more is truth for I know him for a long already and he is definitely not the one loving artistic exaggerations. [...] There's a huge difference between the powerful team helping Magnus and what support was offered to Ushenina. Anna had professional seconds, but as I see it Ukrainian chess Federation didn't want to take responsibility and publish any official statement: to have some position and say: "Hey, that's not how it should work!" Magnus' team will tell the organizers what they think the very minute anything will go wrong in India. That's why I am sure that there won't even be an attempt of doing something similar."

"I guess the food and water danger is too exaggerated. All that craze that the Norwegian team will have its own cook... Maybe that's a good decision, but I mean the chance of getting poisoned in 5-star hotel in India is not bigger than in any other 5-star hotel anywhere else. Remembering World Chess Cup 2011, we were staying in Hotel Hyatt and they had six restaurants with different cuisine only on the first floor; and the food was very tasty. We had no problems - it's just funny to talk about that. The reputation of India as a country in which you can eat something and then be on pills the entire tournament is stereotypical and goes back to the time when people didn't live in good hotels." *Note: The Alexander Khalifman reference is to Women's World Chess Champion Anna Ushenina losing her crown a few weeks back to Hou Yifan in China.

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We've been celebrating the World Chess Championship 2013. The new World Chess Champion is Magnus Carslen, but we will continue to post links, views, features surrounding the World Chess Championship 2013 for the sheer joy of having witnessed chess history being created. Feel free to share opinion, links, and even point out errors - no matter which side you have been cheering for. Let's just continue celebrating a historic chess event. (Email: editor@blackandwhiteindia.com)